About the Book
When it comes to injustice, especially racial injustice, rage isn't just an acceptable response-it's crucial in order to fuel the fight for change. Anger has a bad reputation. Many people think that it is counterproductive, distracting, and destructive. It is a negative emotion, many believe, because it can lead so quickly to violence or an overwhelming fury. And coming from people of color, it takes on connotations
that are even more sinister, stirring up stereotypes, making white people fear what an angry other might be capable of doing, when angry, and leading them to turn to hatred or violence in turn, to squelch an anger that
might upset the racial status quo. According to philosopher Myisha Cherry, anger does not deserve its bad reputation. It is powerful, but its power can be a force for good. And not only is it something we don't have to discourage, it's something we ought to cultivate actively. People fear anger because they paint it in broad strokes, but we can't dismiss all anger, especially not now. There is a form of anger that in fact is crucial in the anti-racist struggle today. This
anti-racist anger, what Cherry calls "Lordean rage," can use its mighty force to challenge racism: it aims for change, motivates productive action, builds resistance, and is informed by an inclusive
and liberating perspective. People can, and should, harness Lordean rage and tap into its unique anti-racist potential. We should not suppress it or seek to replace it with friendly emotions. If we want to effect change, and take down racist structures and systems, we must manage it in the sense of cultivating it, and keeping it focused and strong. Cherry makes her argument for anti-racist anger by putting Aristotle in conversation with Audre Lorde, and James Baldwin in
conversation with Joseph Butler. The Case for Rage not only uses the tools of philosophy to articulate its arguments, but it sharpens them with the help of social psychology and history. The book is
philosophically rich and yet highly accessible beyond philosophical spheres, issuing an urgent call to all politically and socially engaged readers looking for new, deeply effective tools for changing the world. Its message will resonate with the enraged and those witnessing such anger, wondering whether it can help or harm. Above all, this book is a resource for the activist coming to grips with a seemingly everyday emotion that she may feel rising up within her and not know what to do with.
It shows how to make sure anger doesn't go to waste, but instead leads to lasting, long-awaited change.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Broad Strokes
Chapter 2: Fitting Fury
Chapter 3: Rage in Work Clothes
Chapter 4: Breaking Racial Rules
Chapter 5: Rage Renegades
Chapter 6: Anger Management
Chapter 7: The End of Rage?
About the Author :
Myisha Cherry is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. Her books include UnMuted: Conversations on Prejudice, Oppression, and Social Justice (Oxford University Press, 2018) and, co-edited with Owen Flanagan, The Moral Psychology of Anger (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Her work on emotions and race has appeared in The Atlantic, Boston Review, Los
Angeles Times, Salon, Huffington Post, WomanKind, and New Philosopher. She has also offered social commentary on race for BBC Radio, BET, and other outlets. Cherry is also the host of the UnMute Podcast, where she interviews philosophers about the social and political issues of our
day. Her book The Failures of Forgiveness is forthcoming with Princeton University Press.
Review :
One of Cherry's stated aims is for the book to be accessible to a wide audience that includes not just academics but anyone with an interest in racial justice and the role that anger should play in its pursuit. On this score, Cherry succeeds with flying colors. The writing is exceptionally clear, and the book is full of real life examples and pop culture references that make it highly engaging and a pleasure to read.
Myisha Cherry argues very plausibly that anger is an appropriate, useful, and powerful reaction to racism, and often more effective than cooler responses might be ... When bad people get angry we are in trouble. Of course. But when good people are angry about things that matter there is hope for change.
Moving beyond reductive, 'broad brush stroke' judgements about political anger, The Case for Rage considers its varied forms and nuances.
(Starred) ...Cherry... makes a bold and persuasive call for using rage to combat racial injustice... Inspired by the poet and activist Audre Lorde, Cherry advocates in particular for 'Lordean rage,' which 'aims for change' and is 'informed by an inclusive and liberating perspective.' She finds examplesin the words and actions of Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr....James Baldwin, among others, and contrasts the 'respect' given to displays of entitled anger by Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh and other white men and women with the denial of African Americans' right to anger. Cherry lucidly distinguishes between different forms of rage...With its incisive readings of classical philosophers, contemporary politics, and even Saturday Night Live sketches, this accessible, passionate, and meticulously argued case is a must-read.
A philosophical manifesto defending anger as an effective instrument of protest against racism and oppression…Cherry unpacks Martin Luther King Jr.'s celebrated 'Letter From Birmingham Jail' as a foundational document in what she calls 'Lordean rage,' after the iconic poet and activist Audre Lorde. This Lordean rage ranks favorably in a typology of anger that she constructs...Such rage, as well as the rage of narcissism, is the fevered, useless tool of the enemy, whereas 'Lordean rage is a kind that is well suited to maintain itself just as it is, without needing to get out of the way so that "better" emotions can get to work.'…Cherry effectively shows that anger can be a positive force in organizing resistance and keeping the pressure on perpetrators of racism, sexism, and other societal ills. A well-reasoned case for not holding one's tongue in the presence of injustice.
In a time where the ubiquity of outrage makes it difficult to find our bearings, Myisha Cherry pierces through the confusion with sharp analysis, accessible writing, and her characteristic sense of humor to offer an exemplary work of public philosophy on the place of anger in our lives. Passionate and incisive, witty and wise, Cherry builds a powerful case for the value of what she calls Lordean rage, following the great Audre Lorde, to sustain struggles against racial justice, resist habits of undue deference, and defend our self-respect. A book to argue with, and be transformed by, The Case for Rage introduces to the public one of the most original and distinctive voices in contemporary American philosophy at a time when her thinking, and perhaps even anger, is sorely needed.
Brilliant. Timely. Necessary.
Myisha Cherry's The Case for Rage is public philosophy at its best. In a book that is simultaneously concise, accessible, and profound, Cherry demonstrates how we—all of us—can learn to use our anger to make the world more free, more just, and more loving. This book is essential reading for our moment.
In the struggle against racism, anger can be a powerful resource but also has well-known dangers. In a judicious and wide-ranging discussion, Cherry insightfully examines this controversial terrain, helping readers better comprehend the complexity and practical value of antiracist anger. This timely, accessible, and philosophically rich book advances the important debate on the role of rage in politics.
The Case for Rage is an incredibly hopeful and inspiring book, and it comes at just the right time. Myisha Cherry explains how Lordean rage — in the lineage of righteous anger from Ida B. Wells and Sojourner Truth — is both necessary and suited to the anti-racist struggles of our times. Lordean rage is furious, but focused and not frenzied. It is compassionate and empathic, but uncompromising when it comes to the demands of justice. Cherry offers firm, reasoned resistance to skeptics about the role of anger in the service of anti-racism. An important book.
...Myisha Cherry's The Case for Rage is a timely and practical text on how anger of a specific variety can bolster anti-racist action...The Case for Rage excellently considers anger within the context of ongoing racial injustice. This is especially useful given how often racism is downplayed or outright denied...This book is philosophical in its approach, both in an academic sense and in terms of how it consistently thinks through ideas and concepts to question and expand on them. Its message will benefit both scholars and lay readers by presenting how Lordean rage can be fostered and implemented in service of a better world...Highly recommended. All readers.
